


Close as the Bark

by SexyFrostGiants



Series: The Branches of Yggdrasil [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-10-29 18:24:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10859553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SexyFrostGiants/pseuds/SexyFrostGiants
Summary: After Loki uses magic to erase his memory, and revert himself back to how he was before Thor's failed coronation, Odin takes him back to Asgard so he can attempt to retrieve Loki's lost memories and return his wayward son to his proper state of mind. However, seeing as the God of Mischief is involved, things do not go according to plan. As is only right and proper, chaos ensues.This is a sequel to I'm here even if no one else is, this story is a continuation of that plot line and so I recommend you read that story first.





	1. Mischief's Return

“It doesn’t feel right Thor.” Loki said with a soft sigh as the two watched the Einherjar practiced in the arena below.

“Of course it doesn’t, that recruit is holding his sword too loosely.” Thor returned distractedly as he watched the training soldiers.

“Not that you dunce,” The younger prince snapped irritably, even so he cast a discreet spell, watching in amusement as the soldier dropped his now hissing sword with a loud shriek.

The black serpent immediately assumed a defensive position and began hissing and posturing as the soldier stared down at it in astonishment.

“Still fond of snakes I see.”

The two brothers turned around to find their mother standing behind them and smiling affectionately as she observed their antics.

“He was holding it wrong.” Loki defended himself with a slight smirk.

“Even so don’t let your father see you disturbing the Einherjar; you know how he favors them.” Frigga said as she stepped up to the wall the princes had been leaning on to look down upon the arena.

The cobra had struck the recruit on his hand, and while its poison wouldn’t kill him Loki knew from experience that he would suffer for several days.

Loki was admittedly impressed when the soldier stopped to observe the snake, learning from his mistake, he studied it for several moments before disconnecting his sword sheath from his belt. The recruit struck faster than the snake could, pinning its hood to the dirt before swooping down to grab it behind the head. The soldier raised the writhing creature and turned, victoriously presenting it directly to the three royals.

Thor laughed delightedly at the recruits gall, Loki briefly considered switching the snakes head with its tail before gesturing vaguely towards the recruit and his prize.

The snake shimmered with Lokis’ green magic before it was replaced with the soldiers’ sword once more.

“Come brother, let us go walk the gardens ‘er you conjure a bilgesnipe.” Thor said with a hearty laugh as he swung an arm around Loki’s shoulders and began to lead the displeased second prince away.

Frigga sent the pair a fond smile as they left and pretended not to notice how forced Thor’s returned grin seemed.

~•~

“You truly believe he recalls nothing?” Odin asked calmly as Frigga entered his study.

“Loki is as skilled in magic as you are in statecraft my love, we will not find any weakness in his spell without doing him irreparable harm.” The Aseir queen answered with a soft sigh as she opened one of the large windows with a flick of her hand.

Odin glanced up at the sudden light as was struck by the frown marring his queen’s gentle features.

“What troubles you?” The Allfather asked as he rose from his desk and went to her side, he hesitated but a moment before carefully taking his wife’s hand; he was never quite certain when she would permit his affections, but after Loki’s return she seemed ready to finally forgive him for the part he had played in their sons downfall.

“I wish to speak with him honestly, to ask what he experienced, how he feels, and yet I know he will not-cannot- answer me as I need him to.” Frigga explained as she stared down into the garden.

Odin followed her gaze to see their sons speaking animatedly below, even from a distance he could see the way the two were becoming frustrated with each other, trying to bridge a distance Loki couldn’t recall putting between them.

“Do you think he realizes what he has done?” Frigga asked quietly as they watched the pair.

“As much as anyone can understand such a thing, it is Loki after all.” Odin answered carefully, turning his attention from their children and to his wife once more.

Frigga seemed to have gained a hundred years since Loki had returned to them, her attempts at trying to balance her joy at having him home and her horror at what he had done weighing heavily on her heart.

“Are we being selfish? By not punishing him for his crimes just because he cannot remember them, are we not guilty as well?” She murmured with a sigh, and Odin didn’t have an honest answer for either of them.

“I suspect there is more going on than either of us know, Mimir counseled that we bide or time and observe.” Odin offered and tried to ignore the way Frigga frowned at the mention of his uncle; that was one issue they would never agree on.

“Has he offered any other wise counsel regarding our sons?” Frigga asked tersely as she stepped away from the window and Odin, the king relinquishing his hold on her reluctantly.

“He has advised against giving Thor the throne anytime this century.” Odin answered with a soft huff of laughter, and was relieved when Frigga offered a small smile.

“That at least is something I can agree with.” The Aseir queen offered as she gave a more relaxed smile and held out her hand.

“You wished to oversee the Einherjar today, I will join you.” Frigga decided and Odin felt like the weight of the realms had been lifted from his shoulders as he grasped her hand once more, basking in the affection she offered.

As he followed his lady from his study Odin was once more struck by the realization that he could taken on Surtur and win so long as Frigga stood at his side.


	2. Every Rose

Loki watched silently as Thor crossed the garden to speak with the warriors three, for they had refused to come any closer to the trickster, and yet by the way they were acting they had urgent news for the crown prince.

Curiosity urged Loki to get closer, or cast some manner of spell, but he resisted the urge; he knew very well he was on dangerously thin ice, that any step out of line would have him plummeting once more into frigid darkness. A small part of him shuddered at some barely remembered horror and he forced himself to not look towards the rainbow bridge as he waited.

He wondered briefly how strong his spell had been to seal away years of memories, or was it as Odin suspected, had he erased them entirely. He knew of no magic capable of such a feat, and yet they said he had spent much time on an unknown world outside of the nine realms, who knew what magic the creatures that lurked there practiced.

He should be aiding his mother in her attempts to restore his memory, but he could imagine what Odin would do should his memories return. He would be imprisoned and forgotten before he could try such a trick again. Or perhaps they would simply execute him, it would be preferable to being thrown into the dungeon, left to the questionable mercy of the guards too cruel or stupid to be allowed in the Einherjar.

“Brother you look grim.” Thor said, sounding concerned, and perhaps suspicious.

As Loki had expected, Thor was not just his babysitter or protector, but Odin’s watchdog, placed at his side to alert the Allfather at the first sign of Loki’s memories returning.

“The warrior’s three, what did I do to them? Odin did not tell me.” Loki asked, Thor would believe his concern lay in being ostracized, it was after all a nightmare for the thunderer. Or rather it had been, how much of his knowledge was outdated?

“Ah, you set the destroyer upon us.” Thor explained shortly, his expression carefully closed off.

“I see.” Loki murmured glancing towards the warriors once more, they were lingering where Thor had left them, or were they waiting?

“I’m to be confined to my quarters then, while you run off to do fath- Odin’s bidding?” Loki asked, forcing himself to make the distinction once more, he could not afford to forget.

“I will not be long, father wishes for us to go help quell an uprising in Vanaheim.” Even as Thor spoke Loki could see him regretting what he said, what he revealed.

“I never imagined there could be so many walls between us brother.” Loki said quietly as he studied his brother’s face intently.

“I did not build them Loki.” Thor rumbled, his frustration plain for anyone to see, though he did not act on it.

For a brief moment Loki wanted to scream at him, to shove him, to get Thor to react as he once would have, as Loki remembered him. He quickly suppressed the urge, Thor would go to Odin immediately, report Loki as dangerously unstable, and he wouldn’t risk this small measure of freedom for something so simple.

“Of course not; you would not have taken the time.” Loki sneered and then cursed himself, he should not provoke Thor.

“Explain yourself.” Thor demanded sounding more agitated than Loki had heard him since he’d found himself on Midgard.

It was surprisingly comforting, much easier to manage than Thor’s constant, forced cheerfulness. They both knew Loki didn’t belong in Asgard, not like this at least, not anymore.

“It is nothing, I should not have spoken. I will see myself to my quarters.” Loki forced out, sighing softly as he pushed his hurt and frustration away and donned a blank mask as he turned to leave.

“Damn it all Loki! Stop walking away from me!” Thor shouted angrily as he reached out to grab Loki’s shoulder firmly, but that was all, to the tricksters surprise he felt no pain from his brother’s hold, just pressure, he could pull away if he chose.

“Don’t you have an uprising to subdue, brother?” Loki asked calmly as he stepped away, even more surprised when Thor released him without a fight.

Thor said nothing else, he simply held Loki’s gaze for several moments before he turned abruptly and stalked towards the warriors three. Loki watched the group leave the gardens before he made his way towards his own quarters.

Loki suspected he should feel like he had won somehow, he had managed to get Thor to lose that false mask of happiness, and yet he felt like he was the one that had lost something in that encounter.

Perhaps he had lost his last chance to repair his relations with Thor, for once Loki hoped to be proven wrong.


	3. Scrambled is fine

Clint was attempting to cook some eggs for his dinner when Nat walked nonchalantly into the kitchen. She’d been hanging around ever since Loki had gone back to Asgard, keeping an eye on him, though he doubted she’d ever admit it.

“Tasha, I thought Fury had you in Boston?” Clint asked as he flipped the egg, cursing quietly as the yolk broke.

“Turns out Boston didn’t need me.” She said as she hopped up onto the counter beside him.

Glancing up quickly Clint could see the lie written plainly on her face, it was the way she blinked, it was far more slowly than usual. Her lies could be read in how quickly her lashes fluttered, he’d learned that after Budapest, after he nearly lost his life to her sweet smiles and lazy feline blinks. Not that he’d ever tell her, he relied too heavily on that major tell.

“Want an egg?” He asked instead of pursing that line of questioning, her hands moved from her lap to the counter beside her and he knew Nat was grateful for the change in conversation.

“I could go for an egg, as long as you’re the one cooking it.” She agreed with a smile, even as she subtly probed at him.

He wondered how long it would take for the team to be convinced Loki was well and truly gone.

“You see anyone else in this kitchen?” Clint shot back, more gruffly than he intended and could almost feel her trying to dissect him.

“Tasha I’m fine, I promise, it’s just me in here.” Clint said, calmly this time as he raised his gaze to lock with hers, letting her read him to her hearts content.

“I’m sorry Clint, it’s just … you never said anything about him still being in your head, not until he left.” She pointed out as she leaned back against the cupboards, apparently satisfied for now that they were alone.

Clint briefly felt the urge to point out that he never told her about the bond, that she’d found out by spying on him, but he pushed it away, being combative wouldn’t help his case any and wouldn’t get him out of the tower anytime soon.

He felt a small wave of resentment towards Loki, his actions had got Clint locked up in Avengers tower like a criminal, constantly being watched by his team because Loki couldn’t keep his thoughts in his own head; and yet, it’s not like he didn’t enjoy Loki’s commentary.

“What does Fury have to say about it all?” Clint asked as he slipped the half scrambled egg from the pan and onto a plate, unsurprised when Nat immediately commandeered it.

“He’s … Fury.” She answered slowly, clearly expecting him to take the answer at face value.

Under normal circumstances he would have, but you don’t encounter Norse gods and alternate universes everyday.

“I’m going to need a bit more to go off of than that Nat.” Clint said with a sigh as he dropped another egg into the pan.

“He’s not happy – pass me the salt,” She interrupted herself, holding a hand out expectantly for the aforementioned seasoning. “No one is, Loki flipped a lot of what we thought we knew onto its head, and Odin just stealing him away like that … it’s left people questioning whether we can actually protect them or not.” Natasha explained as she seasoned her egg and began to pick at it.

“What’s the game plan? We can’t just demand they give him back, and even if we tried that, Asgard has the bigger claim; Loki tried to kill their Prince and destroy a planet using Asgardian tech.” Clint pointed out as he glared down at the sizzling egg.

“No we aren’t going to try, Fury doesn’t want him back on earth, and Odin won’t give him to us anyway. The plan is to just carry on, keeping fighting the fight, and hope that one day people will trust us again.” Nat said with a sigh.

Clint could hear her disapproval but that did nothing to quell either the wave of relief or the surge of rage he felt at hearing her confirm his suspicions. Loki deserved to be punished, yet Clint couldn’t suppress the wave of nausea he felt at the thought of the mischeif maker in a SHIELD _correction facility_.

“Your egg is burning.” Nat reminded quietly and Clint dragged his mind away from the memory of Loki’s bloodied lips and back to the task at hand.

“Has Tony come out of his lab since I left?” Nat asked, finally turning the conversation away from Loki.

“I doubt Tony even remembers there’s a world outside of his lab.” Clint grumbled with a somewhat forced huff of laughter.

“Why don’t you cook up another couple eggs, I’ll make some coffee, and we can see that he eats something.” Tasha decided as she finished off her egg and slipped off the counter, heading towards the coffee maker determinedly.

“I hope you realize he likely won’t eat anything solid right now, he’s in one of his moods.” Clint pointed out even as he dumped the cooked egg onto a new empty plate and started with a new one.

“Then he will have a meal when he’s done.” She said simply as the smell of fresh coffee began to fill the kitchen.


	4. Lady Fair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha! Two chapters in one night!  
> Hello my dears, I hope you're enjoying this alternate Part 2 so far; and that the slower pace isn't too tiresome.  
> My intention with this story is to make more of an effort to focus on Loki's relationships and not only how he does what he does, but why. As such I expect the chapters will be shorter but put up more frequently.  
> Please feel free to let me know what you think.  
> Thank you for taking the time to read and enjoy!! :)

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Loki frowns as glances towards his door. Thor should not have returned yet, even he could not subdue an uprising in under a mark. Besides did Thor even know how to knock?

Knock. Knock.

The sound echoes once more through his chambers and Loki sighs softly. It seemed they would not leave until he spoke with them. The trickster marked his place in his book as he rose and approached the door. Loki waved his hand and watched in pleasure as the door opened at his command, revealing not Thor, but Lady Sigyn. His intended. Or rather she was; Loki highly doubted her parents would continue pushing for their union.

Loki stopped at the edge of the door, watching to see how she would precede.

Sigyn gave him a slight smile and a polite curtsey, inclining her head respectfully, as if Loki were still her prince and her betrothed.

“Lady Sigyn, what brings you to my chamber so close to the evening hours?” Loki asked pointedly, glancing towards the large windows behind her.

“Your Lady-Mother asked that I send for you, it is nearly time for the nights feast.” Sigyn murmured softly, politely averting her gaze when Loki returned his to her face.

“Indeed it is, surely she could have sent a servant.” Loki said with a frown, wondering at his mothers intentions in sending Sigyn, did she hope to rekindle some lost romance between them?  
Loki had never felt anything beyond brotherly affection towards the maiden, and he knew she had seen him more as a teacher than potential lover; Frigga’s hopes were unfounded on that front. But perhaps she could be a useful ally. Sigyn was powerful, nearly on level with Amora, though she would never be as strong as the other mage, for she would not pursue the craft as aggressively, but she could be of some aide to him.

“I volunteered.” Sigyn piped up hesitantly, staring at him through her lashes, waiting for his reaction.

“Oh.” Loki stared at her blankly for a moment, having not expected her answer.

“I see, allow me to change into something more appropriate for my Lady-Mothers company. Please come in.” Loki offered stepping aside and holding out his arm in invitation.

Sigyn considered for a moment and Loki noticed how she fiddled with a small object on her necklace before nodding and stepping inside, glancing around curiously as he shut the door behind her.

“It is like the years have not passed, seeing you as you are, untouched by time. I imagine the perfume I lost is still hidden somewhere within your books.” Sigyn murmured as she stepped towards Lokis library, trailing her fingers across the spines.

Loki watched her a moment before he stepped behind a partition by his wardrobe to change.

“To my recollection they have not, but yes I believe with enough searching you would find it. It was lavender oil, yes?” Loki asked ask he began tugging off his lounging robes.

“Yes I believe so, I was quite cross with you, it was a brand new vial.” Sigyn said with a soft laugh as she moved things around on his desk.

Loki felt a fleeting moment of concern before remembering just who he was with; Sigyn had never had any interest in harming him; not even when she had figured out his pact with Laufey. He could trust her, more than he could trust his family at least.

 “As I recall, the loss was your fault my lady, it would not have disappeared had you not volunteered it as the subject of experimental magic.” Loki reminded unable to stop the smile from stretching across his lips at the familiar banter.

“Ah my lord,” The playful title fell so easily from her lips, as if it was as she had said, no time had passed. “I would not have volunteered my precious oil had I known you did not know what you were doing.” She declared boldly and Loki barely smothered a laugh as he pulled on his court robes.

“Alas I am wounded by your accusations.” Loki declared as he stepped out from behind the partition, smoothing down his hair.

Sigyn clicked her tongue disapprovingly at the sight of him and cast a spell in his direction. Loki flinched instinctively away even as her blue energy cascaded over him, soothing him as it went about its task of straightening his robes and hair.

“You look unaffected by time, and yet I wonder what you have suffered my friend that you cannot stand my simple magics.” Sigyn said with a thoughtful frown as she approached him, leaving the vial of oil sitting in the center Lokis desk, the drawer he had hidden it away in all those years ago left ajar.

“I do not know anymore than what the Allfather has told me.” Loki admitted and was startled when she rested a hand on his arm, concern written plainly on her face.

“Do you wish to regain your memories Loki? I will help if that’s what you need.” Sigyn offered carefully, as she studied his face intently, none of the earlier courtly mannerisms hindering her now.

“I think perhaps that I sealed away those memories for a reason, but allow me to think on the matter, I will keep you informed.” Loki decided slowly and was pleased at the smile that crossed her lips.

“Very well then, come my lord the night is young and I believe you still owe me for losing my oil.” She said with a grin as she held out her hand for Loki to claim.

Laughing softly the trickster took her offered hand and guided it to the crook of his elbow as he spelled his door open. With a genuine smile on his lips Loki lead his friend from the safety of his chambers and towards the infinitely more dangerous, royal court.


End file.
